Professor Layton and the road to happiness
by Kyoukalayy
Summary: A new mystery has been handed to the famous professor Layton. Nothing he isn't able to solve of course, although he didn't expect her to be involved. Will he be able to solve this peculiar mystery? Will he find his happiness?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the professor layton franchise.

This story takes place one year after the unwound future :) English is my second language so I apologize for the bad grammar/spelling mistakes. It has also been about 6 years since i wrote any fanfics but i felt like trying it again. I am definitely still obsessed with Professor Layton (it has been about 10 years now omg) and hope the fandom isn't too dead yet haha.

(Edit: Made a little mistake in the description which was amazingly dumb. Thank you MetricMachine for pointing it out!)

* * *

Prologue The news

It was a calm morning for the professor. He had dreamed of completing a most difficult puzzle. Although he didn't remember much of the puzzle itself, he felt the accomplishment of completing it. And of course nothing felt better than completing a great puzzle.

At the moment he was walking towards Gressenheller university, where he still taught as the esteemed professor Hershel Layton, archaeologist, puzzle master and the world's top gentleman. Many adored the professor for his intellect and kindness, but not many knew what the man personally. When you really got to know him, you would find him to be quite lonely at the moment. Although he would never admit this to anyone. It would feel rude to Flora and Rosa, who would spend a portion of their time with him almost every day. Unfortunately for the professor, Flora had been visiting St. Mystere more and more as of late and he was too busy to join her.

It had been a little over a year ago since he saved londen, said farewell to Claire and goodbye to Luke. He never expected to ever see Claire again after her accident. It was an amazing surprise to see her again and the professor felt like he was finally able to let her go after he had properly said goodbye to her. She had been his first true love. A love he hadn't been able to find since. He accepted his fate as a lonely gentleman, but was not opposed to finding someone to spend his remaining days with at some point.

He finally arrived at the university and walked through the ever familiar gates. He breathed in the cold autumn air, giving him a slight chill down his spine. He had dressed fairly warm for the weather, but had forgotten his scarf and gloves.

"I hope there won't be any snow too soon.'' the professor mumbled while breathing warm air into his hands.

He was not the most organised person in the world. This is clear once you take one step into his office. He was very thankful for Rosa, who cleaned after him more times than she'd like. She always complained about his bad habits, but never without a smile. The professor walked into the building, happy to be met with a hug from the warm air indoors. He greeted a few students walking past him and proceeded towards his office. He had always liked his office. It had a nice view of the school campus and enough privacy during the day for him to focus on his work. He was actually looking forward to this week. The only plans on his schedule involved checking homework and looking through artifacts. Last week had been an extremely busy week of checking exams, keeping up with his classes and solving a case for the Scotland Yard. He had always been fast with the exams so his students wouldn't have to wait too long on the results. Another reason why the students liked him so much. Not like professor Jenkins, who always took another week or 3 to check the exams.

Hershel always had a few boxes of artifacts in this study, brought to him by multiple musea, to check the authenticity. For an archaeologist, this was of course not a problem for the dear professor, because for him seeing beautifully preserved relics from all centuries was an absolute joy. He walked up to his office door and reached for the handle, only to stop mid-air. He heard voices from the inside which he immediately recognized. He was sure that his peaceful prospects were no more. He opened the door and greeted the men inside.

''Inspector Chelmey, Inspector Grosky, what a pleasure to see you again.'' the professor said.

''Hmfr Layton,'' Chelmey grumbled. ''Good to see you too I suppose.'' as he reached out to shake his hand.

The professor shook his hand and wondered why they were waiting for him.

''So, to what do I owe this visit gentleman?''

Chelmey and Grosky looked at each other and nodded in unison.

''Actually, we need your help.'' Grosky of the Yard informed the professor.

The professor gestured to the chairs and couch in his office for the men to sit down upon. They sat down and looked slightly defeated.

''You're not gonna like this Layton.'' Chelmey said.

''Oh, and why is that?'' Layton asked.

''We are working on a case that has been going on for a while now.'' Grosky began.

The professor figured this story might take a while and sat down on his office chair.

''3 months ago a group of unknown individuals began helping convicted criminals escape from different prisons. So far we have records saying they helped over a dozen people escape from 4 different prisons.''

''The escapes have a few connecting factors to them. One of them being the reason they were commited, which is child murder and the other is that they all claim to be innocent.'' Chelmey chimed in.

Grosky nodded and continued ''They have also claimed that they were set up by someone. We have of course tried to investigate the matter but found no evidence of this. But we wouldn't be here unless there was some development.''

''And this is the gnarly part. We believe the same group that helped the prisoners escape is involved with the mafia.'' Chelmey said.

The professor's eyes widened. The London mafia was not something he had dealt with before. Grosky balled up his hands in anger and puffed up his chest dramatically.

''Then now for the weird part,'' Chelmey said quieter than the professor expected. ''We have some footage from a bank heist the mafia pulled on us last week. There we found 4 of the former escaped prisoners helping them and…'' Chelmey stopped mid-sentence and looked at Grosky to continue.

Grosky sighed when he got the look from Chelmey and looked at the professor with sad eyes. ''We saw Emmy.''

* * *

And there's the prologue! Hope you are intrigued too far :) I have already started working on chapter 1 and hope to finish this at work today (i do not have a lot to do at my job so you know).

Update: I have edited some parts of the prologue because I wasn't too happy with it. It was mostly my writing style but also a continuity error.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the professor layton franchise.

* * *

Chapter 1 The Thought

Of all things to come out of the inspectors mouth, her name was the last thing the professor expected.

''Emmy…''

His heart ached a little just uttering her name. He hadn't seen her in 4 years. He looked down and twiddled his thumbs. The last time he saw her, their last adventure together felt so long ago now. He remembered the pained look in her eyes when she felt like she had to say goodbye to him. He tried very hard to understand her feelings in the matter. Her reasoning for no longer staying as his assistant, but it always seemed unnecessary to him.

He received a few letters from her afterwards, describing her new adventures around the world. Every now and then she would even send a picture attached to the letter of some incredible artifact she had stumbled upon. The letters had stopped. They had stopped a long time ago actually. He often wondered if she was alright. He had hoped that maybe she would drop in one day and everything would be as it had always been. But it never happened, not until now.

''You saw Emmy? Are you sure?'' the professor asked.

''She was the one practically leading the assault.'' Chelmey answered.

''How could this be?'' he pondered.

She did have a former connection to Targent, but the professor always believed her to stray on the path of righteousness.

''She must have a motive for doing something like that.''

''That's what we hope to discover.'' Grosky said with a sad tone to his voice.

Inspector Grosky of the Yard had been good friends with Emmy, the professor knew. They had talked about her from time to time on investigations and he always seemed to speak fondly of her.

''But there is something else we should tell you Layton.'' Chelmey said.

The professor looked at the two men and nodded slightly.

''She...there is...she looked like…'' Grosky tried to start his sentence.

Chelmey looked annoyed while the man blabbered through a seemingly never ending sentence before finally interrupting.

''She was glowing.''

The professor raised an eyebrow at the remark. ''Glowing inspector?''

The inspector cleared his throat before continuing. ''Ahem, yes well...the footage is rather messy but it is clear that Miss Altava has some sort of ''glow'' around her. Her eyes were fired up as well. It was all quite a magic act if you ask me.''

The professor found it hard to believe such a phenomenon, but was intrigued.

''Are you sure it's not some form of light distortion, or a reflection on the camera?'' he asked.

''No we are quite confident professor, but we would like you to take a look at the footage.'' Grosky answered.

''When would you have time?'' Chelmey asked.

Luckily the professor had more time on his hands this week and suggested he would come by Scotland Yard this afternoon after he had taken care of his business at the university. The two inspectors agreed to this and left the office. After they closed the door the professor huffed back into his chair. What was the meaning of all this?

He finished up his necessary duties and decided to visit dean Delmona before leaving. He figured he would need some time off for the case and it would only be polite to let the man in charge know. Of course dean Delmona, ever the sweet sod, encouraged the professor to focus on his adventure and to take as much time as needed. Something about good press for the university. He could, however, not leave before helping him with a puzzle for his granddaughter.

After the little pleasantry the professor ventured forth to the old, but still rather beautiful building of the Scotland Yard. The kind lady at the reception desk guided him to inspector Chelmey's office where the man in question, Grosky and constable Barton were discussing the case. The professor tipped his hat at Barton and proceeded into the office.

''Layton, kind of you to FINALLY join us.'' Chelmey said irritated.

The professor chuckled at his remark and settled his eyes on the paperwork and pictures on the table. One picture in particular immediately peaked his interest. The picture showed a female shape in a dark outfit. Her long dark hair seemed frazzled, but it was unmistakingly Emmy Altava. He picked up the picture and slightly squinted his eyes. The picture was rather blurry and in black and white. It looked like it was taken from a security camera.

''That a still image from the camera footage we received from the bank.'' Grosky said, confirming his suspicions.

''Do you have the footage here?'' Layton asked.

Chelmey janked his head to Barton who was already fumbling around with the tapes. The tiny constable shoved one of them in the video recorder and pressed play. A loud sound erupted from the television, causing everyone to jump.

''BARTON THE SOUND YOU BUFFOON.'' Chelmey yelled impressively above the jarring sound.

Barton quickly turned down the volume to a more tolerable level, making everyone sigh in relief.

Layton felt bad for the man but was quickly fixated on the screen before him. The footage started with a view focused on the entrance of the bank. Not long after several people started entering through the front doors. Four of them started barricading the doors.

''Those are the four inmates we recognized.'' Chelmey said, suddenly standing next to Layton. Grosky had joined them as well with a hand combing through his chest hair. much to Chelmey's dismay.

The professor took note of the clumsy way the four men tried to block the door. Not really experienced criminals, or so they seemed. in front of the four men were two more people, standing still for just a moment. They were both dressed in dark clothes with their hoods up. At the moment the professor could not tell if one of them was Emmy. After the three henchman finished baracadding the front entrance they seemed to signal the other two in front of them. The people working in the bank were already preparing to jump to the ground, probably because of multiple training sessions.

One of the two hooded figures leaned closer to the other and seemingly whispered something to the other person. The other person nodded and took a step forward while removing her hood. And there she was, clear as day, barely changed from the last time he saw her. Although when he looked closer she seemed a tad on the skinny side. Her cheeks had fallen in and her eyes seemed dull. But what happened next startled the professor more. Like the two inspectors had said, Emmy started giving off a strange glow. It was faint at first but grew stronger in a matter of seconds. She slowly lifted up her arm in front of her and closed her eyes. She was frowning and seemed a little like she was in pain. After a while she opened her eyes again, but these were not her regular chocolate brown eyes. They were glowing as bright as the sun.

The professor heard Grosky sigh deeply beside him. He had probably seen the footage multiple times by now. He felt bad for the inspector.

Some people in the bank started screaming at the sight of her. It was quite terrifying to see what had become of her. Finally before they could see what happened exactly the footage stopped playing.

''Wait what happened after that? Do we have more footage?'' Professor Layton asked.

''No we don't, it seems our little friends ''power'' turned off the cameras.'' Chelmey explained while throwing quotation marks up in the air.

''Although it might still be something else Chelmey, like what if they sabotaged it from the beginning or…'' Grosky replied.

''Oh bollocks Grosky, we have already inspected every other possibility.''

Grosky looked grumpy at inspector Chelmey but gave up in the end only to sigh deeply again.

''It is rather strange how it happens right after Emmy lights up as it were, but let us not jump to conclusions yet.''

''Yes I agree professor!'' Grosky said returning to his old bubbly self.

''Hrmf, so what do you make of this then Layton.'' Chelmey asked.

The professor was unsure how to answer.

''I would like to investigate a little more into the prisoners first. What are their names? What prison were they in? How long were they in for? If you could please provide me with more information.''

Barton quietly took notes of everything the professor had asked and started collecting data as soon as possible. He was not a talkative lad but a productive one he certainly was. Once he was finished collecting everything, everyone hunched over the material. Eventually Layton found one piece of information which could be somewhat interesting. He brushed his finger over the piece of paper and thought deeply on how to act next.

''Thought of something?'' Chelmey asked expentingly.

''From what I collect four of the inmates were from the Redstone prison, am I correct?''

''Yes...and?'' Chelmey answered, already annoyed with the professor for not getting to the point right away. Something he had experienced many times before.

''It seems these four people were all in the velvet section. From what we know the velvet section of the Redstone prison only houses the most intense criminals of London.''

''...SO?'' Chelmey said, growing more impatient with the second.

''I know for a fact that the velvet section of the Redstone prison houses exactly five inmates.''

Chelmey huffed out a large breath. ''Will you get to the point already Layton? Why are you always so incredibly slow with your deductions.''

''Now now inspector, I don't want to haste you.''

Barton let out a small giggle behind inspector Grosky which won him a very angry looking Chelmey growling in his direction.

''4 out of 5 people were let free from the velvet section who all claimed to be innocent and I know for a fact that the fifth person absolutely knows he is not innocent.'' The professor continued.

''And who is that person?'' Grosky asked.

''Well I do visit him from time to time and I believe you two have heard from him as well. His name is Clive Dove.''

Grosky and Chelmey looked at him like he was a mad man.

''Clive Dove? Wasn't that the little punk that tried to destroy London last year?'' Chelmey asked.

''Yes he had some wrong ideas but he is doing very well on his rehabilitation.''

The professor believed Clive understood that he had to go through his sentence and was always happy to see the professor.

''I'm sure Clive could help us with the investigation, I could visit him tomorrow morning.''

''Well as long as you don't promise him a shorter sentence or things like that. The boy deserves what he reaped.'' Chelmey said.

''Oh but don't you worry inspector, I intend to promise him no such thing of course.'' the professor replied.

The two men once again agreed to the professors proposal and with that they ended their little meeting. The professor was allowed to bring along some of the evidence, including the picture of Emmy. He did not understand why she would do this. At the moment all of it seemed so wrong. But he knew she must have some sort of motive and he will find out what. She might need his help after all, and helping out a lady is what a gentleman does.

Once he got home he immediately phoned the Redstone prison to let them know of his visit. Flora had been away to visit St. Mystere and wasn't to be expected for another week or so.

The professor spent the rest of the evening going through all the clues that had been collected thus far, so he would be well prepared for his investigation. At these moments he really missed Luke. Luke always had this fresh outlook on things. But above all the professor would have just liked Luke to be there in general. To have him make jokes and ask for puzzles, to distract him when he was lost in all his material. To make him take a break every once in awhile because his stomach was growling. Now he didn't notice it until it was already 11 o'clock in the evening. He looked at the clock and sighed.

''Better eat something small before I go to bed.'' he said to himself.

And with that professor layton finished up his evening before another busy day began.

* * *

I don't know how long this story is going to be yet. I have a few of the scenes planned out in my head already but no ending yet so that's a mystery even for me haha. I have to admit that it has been a long time since I played the lost future and the azran legacy so my memories of those games are a bit hazy. I have just replayed Curious Village and Pandora's Box though so I might just continue :) Let me know what you thought!

Update: I made some edits to this chapter as well. I'm really learning so much with every chapter I write, so I felt like the first couple of chapters needed some rewriting.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the professor layton francise.

The next step to unlocking the mystery is a visit the everyones favorite boy Clive :)

* * *

**Chapter 2 The visit**

During his walk to the Redstone prison, professor Layton wondered what he wanted out of this particular case. He knew he wanted to solve it and find out what truth hid beneath this mystery, but he also felt he had a personal stake in this as well. The most surprising factor being Emmy and her involvement, Hershel Layton felt as though this case would prove to him how important she actually was in his life. The strong desire to help her, to get her to stand beside him in this mystery was bubbling up in his chest. He tried to conceal it from himself more than anything.

He shook his head out of the thought process and started to focus on the task at hand. He approached the front gate of the Redstone prison and was met by a security guard.

''Good afternoon sir, may i please see some ID.'' the man said politely.

''Of course.'' the professor answered while handing over his passport.

''Do you have an appointment?'' the man murmured, intensely looking from the passport to the professor.

''Yes, I called yesterday for an appointment with mister Dove. I believe he is expecting me.'' the professor answered calmly.

He was used to the procedure of the Redstone prison, but always felt slightly uneasy when talking to the guards. They must be extra careful with letting anyone in at the moment since the break-outs.

''I'll just be checking up on that. One moment please sir.'' the guard finally said.

The professor tipped his hat and waited patiently for the guard to return. After about 5 minutes the guard returned with an approval form. The professor signed it and was thankfully allowed in afterwards. He walked through the impressive gates and entered the grounds. The Redstone prison was divided into 4 quadrants. The larger one in the middle is the common area. This building is called the Rose section, where the common day prisoners were being kept. The professor could hear them playing basketball in the courtyard, which was right outside of the building. Slightly to the right was the next part of the prison that housed the foreign prisoners with visa problems. It was a slightly smaller and nicer looking building where the professor knew people were not to stay for long. This was called the Berry section. Further in the back of the grounds was the juvenile part of the prison called the Cherry section. Here, criminals under the age of 18 years old were given the option to rehabilitate and repent for their mistakes.

The most highly secured building to the right was called the velvet section, where the most dangerous people were being kept. This entailed people who commited serial killings or tried to destroy London or something like that. This was where Clive Dove was being held. Clive absolutely deserves to be in prison for what he had done, but the professor had a soft spot for the lad. He tried to visit him at least once every two weeks. Conversations with Clive were always different. One day he would happily tell the professor multiple puzzles he had come up with but some days Clive would cry and repent for all the problems he had caused. The professor would never know how to comfort the boy, but he tried nonetheless.

The professor walked into the velvet facility and proceeded through the security protocols. He was searched thoroughly, walked through a metal detector and had to place all of his belongings in a locker. He was always searched intensely before entering the meeting area, but he could tell the guards were eyeing him more than ever. After everything, the professor could finally sit down in front of the glass to wait for Clive. The glass was bulletproof and incredibly thick. There was a telephone placed on each side of the glass so the two could communicate.

The professor never liked having to talk to Clive through the glass, especially when the boy was upset. After a while the door on the other side of the glass opened and a young man in a dark red prison uniform stepped forward.

''They really dug down on the whole red department.'' the professor thought.

Clive sat down on the other end of the glass and smiled at the professor. Thankfully he didn't seem to be in a bad mood. The professor smiled back and gestured to the phones. They both picked up the phones and nodded to the guard who then flipped a switch to activate the phones.

''Professor, what a surprise! I wasn't expecting you in another week or so.'' Clive said happily.

''Clive my boy, how have you been?'' he asked.

''Alright, but as you might have heard it is actually a bit lonely in here at the moment.''

''Yes, i have indeed heard.'' the professor nodded. ''Which is also the reason why I am here today.''

Clive looked a bit surprised at the professor and waited for him to tell more.

The professor sighed and looked down at the table before him. ''Truth be told Clive, i need your help in figuring something out.''

''Of course professor, i'd be glad to help you out with anything.''

The professor looked back up and Clive and smiled warmly at him.

''Thank you. It does indeed have to do with your previous cellmates. Could you tell me what you know about them?'' the professor asked.

Clive looked in thought for a moment. ''Well… i wasn't really close with any of them except Phillip maybe. He was a nice enough guy and we talked during breaks sometimes.''

Professor Layton tried to remember the name Phillip from the reports he had read.

''Phillip Wilson perhaps?'' he asked.

''Yes correct. He was a quiet man and enjoyed being alone most of the time.''

The professor nodded silently while concentrating on Clive's story.

''He and the other men all claimed to be innocent for the crimes they commited.'' Clive said, with emphasis on the word ''Claimed''.

''You believe they did commit them?'' the professor asked.

''No not necessarily but I didn't have evidence to prove otherwise. One by one another person was added to our little facility here and they all claimed innocence. It just sounds too good to be true right professor?'' Clive chuckled.

''I suppose from your perspective it is quite strange.'' The professor answered.

''Well since they all said they were innocent, they were usually together, trying to figure out if maybe their cases were connected. But I don't think they found anything. After a month or so they got broken out of here and i haven't heard about them since.''

The professor brought up his hand to his chin and tried to think about their cases. The four men were all from different towns around London. One interesting, and gruesome detail was that they were all arrested for murdering multiple children. A lot of people had been saying they were copycats and wanted to commit the same crime, but the rest of the details from the crime were marginally different. Phillip came from Wembley where he had killed a pair of 17 year old twins. The method in which he had killed them was by drowning them together. One of the other men from the Velvet section was James, who had supposedly killed four children in the town of Romford, although the man himself didn't even live in Romford. Three of the children had been from a rich family, while the other one was from the slums. All of these children were found trapped in a basement and gassed to death. The only two connecting factors would have been the fact that they were children and that the convicted people in question were very much alone. They were all single without children, which is probably what made them great targets without alibi's.

''What do you know about the break out Clive?'' the professor finally asked.

''Hm, well that night I was rudely awakened by a loud rumble. We sleep alone in our rooms so I couldn't tell what they were doing outside. After 10 minutes of rumbling and shouting guards it all suddenly went quiet. It wasn't until the next morning that someone opened my room to ask what had happened. I unfortunately have no window in my door, so I didn't see a thing. the security cameras had all mysteriously shut down. When they did open my door however i saw some guards on the floor that were being helped up. It seemed like they had been knocked out.''

The professor processed the story for a moment and thought about what to do next. From what he understood there wasn't any reason to believe it had been Emmy.

''Oh and there was another thing. ''Clive said suddenly.

''Yes?'' the professor asked.

''I heard the guards talk about seeing a bright light right before they got knocked out. They thought they were going to die but I suppose they're fine.''

So it was Emmy. The glowing was still something professor Layton was not able to process. It could still be a play on the eyes, but it seemed she was using it as some kind of power.

''Did Phillip perhaps ever talk about what he would do once he proved his innocence?'' the professor asked.

Clive thought for a moment. ''He did talk about a little outhouse he had near Uxbridge, but he said it had been destroyed in a fire years ago.''

''Did you tell the police about the outhouse as well?''

''Yes and they checked it out I think.''

He didn't read anything about an outhouse in the reports so there was probably nothing there. Something about that didn't sit right with the professor. Call it his famous intuition like Luke would always say, but it might also just be his only lead.

''Thank you Clive, you have been a great help.''

''Glad to be of help.'' Clive said while grinning widely.

They continued their conversation with normal pleasantries about life and what not. Clive had also already prepared a puzzle for the puzzlemaster, which he would not decline of course. After a while the guards gestured for them to end the conversation.

''Well I guess time's up again professor. When will i be able to see you again?'' Clive asked.

''I will still be coming over next week my boy, at least if nothing gets in the way.'' he said while thinking about the upcoming trip.

''I'll let you know if anything changes.''

Clive nodded and waved goodbye while he hung up the telephone. The professor grabbed his belongings from the locker and returned outside. He breathed in some of the crisp autumn air and exhaled deeply. After the conversation with Clive he had decided to pay a visit to the little outhouse owned by Phillip.

''Why would he still own the house if there is nothing there.'' the professor pondered.

He returned to his home only to be met with a ringing telephone. He placed his coat on the rack and quickly answered the phone.

''Hershel Layton speaking.''

''Bloody hell, he finally answered.'' was said by a familiar voice on the other end of the line.

''Ah, inspector, how may i help you?'' the professor answered.

''Have you visited the brat yet?'' Chelmey asked.

''yes, in fact I only just returned from my visit.''

The professor wondered for a moment if he should tell Chelmey about his plans to visit the cottage. He was concerned for Emmy first and foremost. He would be devastated to help the police lock her up, but if she was really committing crimes, did he really have a choice?

''Well did you learn anything?'' The inspector said, trying to sound calm.

''I think I might have a lead, but I am unsure as of now. Would it be alright for me to investigate this on my own for a while?'' he asked.

He heard the inspector sigh deeply before turning his attention back to the phone.

''Fine but you will let us know if you find anything, you understand?''

''But of course inspector, but for now i wish you a nice evening.''

''Right, g'night.'' the inspector grumbled once again.

Such a grumpy man. The only time the professor saw the man in a good mood was when he was with his wife Amelie.

The professor had decided to go about it alone. He just couldn't risk her freedom like that. Although he was unsure he would even find her there. The professor started gathering his things for a trip to Uxbridge. To find the outhouse would be a big enough task alone. He only hoped he wouldn't have to sleep in his car for too long. Tomorrow would be the start of his adventure.

* * *

Thanks for the read! Hope you're enjoying it so far. If there is any problem with it please let me know. I keep updating it myself when i see mistakes as well.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the professor layton francise.

* * *

**Chapter 3 The trip**

The next morning Hershel Layton loaded his packed bag into the famous Layton mobile. He huffed out a loud sigh before entering his altered little vehicle. He looked at this watch, which read half past 5. It was still early enough for it to be dark, but the professor figured he might as well get an early start, since he didn't sleep very well. He was having strange nightmares as of late. Dark dreams where he felt incredibly alone.

''Time to go old chap.'' the professor said to himself while stretching out his arms in front of him.

He adjusted his top hat and started the car. Uxbridge was only about an hour and a half away from his house, but he still needed to figure out where exactly Phillip's cottage was. He drove through the empty streets, feeling even more alone in the drowning silence. He was looking forward to seeing the sunrise once he got out of the city. Definitely one of the perks of being an early riser. He didn't have breakfast yet, but figured he might grab a sandwich when he got there.

After about an hour and 20 minutes the professor arrived in Uxbridge. He parked his car near a kiosk and exited the car. The kiosk was already open fortunately, with a grumpy-looking man sitting inside.

''Can I help ya with anything sir.'' the man said in a thick accent.

The professor approached the kiosk and looked at his wares. Most of the things were normal things you would see at a kiosk; newspapers, magazines, coffee and a few snacks.

''Do you happen to have any tea my good sir?'' the professor asked, suddenly feeling parched.

''Finest tea in Uxbridge sir'' the man replied with a wide grin.

''I'll have a cup of tea and a map of the surrounding area please.'' the professor said while placing 10 pounds on the counter.

''Excellent choice sir. Might you be interested in anything else?'' the man said while looking at the map with deep uninterest.

The professor shook his head. ''No that will be all, thank you.''

He looked at the newspaper laying in front of the man and spotted the crossword puzzle of the day. The man placed the tea, the map and the change on the counter and directed his gaze to the crossword as well.

''61 horizontal got me stumped, any idea?'' the man asked while shrugging.

The professor looked at the description and read it out loud. ''The term comes into English from French, in which language it means ''lively, fierce''. He placed his finger on his chin and thought for a moment. He knew some french but it had been a while since he had practised the language.

''Six letter word that ends with a 'T''' the man said grumpily.

Suddenly it dawned on the professor as he happily exclaimed ''Abrupt!''.

The man squinted at the crossword and sighed.

''Fine.'' he finally said as he wrote it down.

The professor took his tea and map and tipped his hat to the man. He finally felt a bit better about his day. Solving a puzzle was a great way to lift your spirits after all. He placed his buttocks back into the seat of his car and enjoyed his warm cup of tea. The tea was slightly bitter but the professor didn't mind. There wasn't a tea he didn't like, well except maybe for the fish tea Flora once tried to make for him. He shuddered at the thought.

He opened up the map and looked for his next destination. He spotted a few small settlements near the woods and decided to check them out first. He circled the houses and started his car. He carefully placed his tea in the cupholder and drove off.

He thought back to the crossword and about the description for the word abrupt. Lively and fierce were both words he would definitely use to describe Emmy. He thought about her easily dropkicking multiple enemies to the ground without even breaking a sweat. She was always so strong. When he first met her, it shocked him how skilled she was. He did find it a bit odd how she never explained how she got her material arts training, but it never dawned him as important at the time. He was just happy that she was on his side at that time. After everything that happened Froenborg it was no surprise she learned it all during her training days with Targent.

After a while the professor started seeing more and more trees on the horizon. The road had also gotten a bit more bumpy that he would have liked but thankfully he spotted the first house as well.

He parked the car near the house and looked at his watch. The time read 09:10, which was probably late enough to try and knock on someone's door right? He approached the door and looked through the window inside. Inside was a large dog laying in front of the fireplace. Hershel gulped for a moment but knocked on the door nonetheless. The dog's ears immediately peaked with curiosity but he seemed too tired to engage. After a few seconds the door opened. The professor was greeted by a woman who looked to be somewhere in her forties.

''Yes?'' the woman said carefully.

The professor tipped his hat to the lady. ''Good morning madam, I was wondering if I might inquire your knowledge of the surrounding settlements.''

''Oh, oh my.'' the woman said with a slight blush on her cheeks. ''But of course, what would you like to know?''

''I am looking for a specific cottage owned by one Phillip Wilson. I heard the cottage has presumably burned down''

''Phillip Wilson you say...hm doesn't ring any bells i'm sorry.'' the woman answered.

''That's alright. Thank you ever so much for your time.'' the professor said with the grace of a true gentleman.

The woman placed a hand on her tinted cheek and smiled kindly.

The professor continued to search for the cottage. He asked every person he came across for Phillip's cottage but no one seemed to know the man. One person thought he knew him but it eventually turned out to be a dead lead. After hours and hours of searching the professor started to lose faith.

''_Maybe the cottage was completely destroyed after all._'' the professor thought to himself.

But that wouldn't explain why no one had heard of it. He once again looked at the map, trying to find anything he had missed. There was a piece of land deeper in the woods where he hadn't gone to yet, but it seemed like there was nothing there. As he was deeply investigating the map, he failed to notice the man standing next to him admiring his car.

''That's some roof you got there mate, is it for your hat by chance?'' the young man said.

The professor jumped slightly from the question and looked at the boy next to him.

He cleared his throat and said ''ah, yes indeed it is. I have modified it so I can wear my hat at all times while driving.''

''Fascinating.'' the man whispered.

The man looked over at the professor and down at his map. ''That's quite an old map you got there isn't it?''

The professor looked surprised at the man. ''I bought it today at a kiosk and the map seems to be made recently from the material. How old is it?''

''From the looks of it, it's like 40 years old. Most of the newer building aren't on it after all.''

The professor softly face palmed and cursed the kiosk worker in his mind. He was probably scammed.

''Are you looking for anything in particular? I know my way around.'' the man said happily. ''For showing me such a funny looking car, i'd love to help.''

''Would you happen to know of any cottages around here that were burned down several years ago? Or maybe partly burned down?'' the professor asked.

The man looked closer at the map and pointed his finger near the empty part in the middle of the woods.

''There are definitely a few houses around here, but i'm not sure about any one them burning down.''

The professor's intuition was right after all.

''Thank you sir.'' he said while entering his ''funny looking car''.

The man waved him goodbye as he drove off.

Some time later, the professor arrived at a more dense part of the forest. The Layton mobile seemed to shake more and more with every meter. The professor started to worry about the durability of his little car. After a few more heavy shakes a clearing finally appeared. The professor stopped the car next to a beautiful Major Oak tree. He looked at the tree in wonder and thought of the tales of Robin Hood, which were said to take place in these kinds of trees.

He got out of the car, stretched and looked around. Above the trees the professor saw a plume of smoke rising through the air.

''A lit fireplace.'' he thought out loud.

He decided to have a look to see if anyone would be able to help him with his quest. Moving through the trees, the professor discovered an old but cute little cottage. The plume of smoke was indeed coming out of the chimney, indicating a fireplace inside. The professor took a deep breath and smelled something similar to his mother's cooking.

He walked up to the door to knock but was surprised to find it already open. He waited, wondering if he should still knock or maybe call out. It would definitely be rude to just walk inside. During the thinking process the professor once again failed to notice the presence behind him. But he would find out soon enough since a sharp object had found itself probing his back.

''Why are you here.'' the person said in a soft but stern voice.

The professor could tell it was a man and was aware he had to proceed with caution. He slowly lifted his arms above his head and stayed in place.

''I am looking for the cottage of Phillip Wilson. Someone told me he had a cottage somewhere near here.'' he answered.

''It burned down.'' the man said calmly.

''Nonetheless I wish to find it.'' the professor returned.

The man went quiet for a moment before continuing ''Name?''

''I am professor Hershel Layton, I am an archeologist and professor at Gressenheller university.''

''And why do you wish to find this cottage?'' the man said slightly more aggravated.

The professor thought about his answer. ''I believe mister Wilson to be involved with someone that is very dear to me. She seems to believe he is innocent and I want to find her to see if…'' the professor stopped his sentence. To see if what? If he is innocent? If she is actually involved with the mafia? If she needs my help? He was...unsure to say the least.

''Hm, are you involved with the police?'' the man said after some silence.

''They have contacted me to help them with their investigation about the case, but I am conducting my current search alone.''

''You seem sincere.'' the man said, lowering the sharp object.

The professor relaxed his shoulders and lowered his arms.

''May I turn around?'' he asked.

He heard the man huff in agreement and turned around. In front of him was a short, older man seemingly around 75 years old. His grey hair was ruffled in all directions and he was holding what looked like shears. Hershel looked around and was surprised to find some shivering sheep in the distance. The shears were no danger to his life, but it was quite effective for interrogating, he thought.

''The coppers came asking for the same thing. Name's Arthur by the way but call me Artie.'' the man suddenly sounded friendly. The professor shook Artie's hand, which was slightly covered in sheep's fur.

''Nice to meet you Artie. If I may ask, why did you ask if I was with the police?''

''Well, them coppers wanted to find lill phillip's place you see, but not to help him out or anything. Ooh no, they wanted to bust the man. Phillip was a good friend to me, helped me with the sheep. Sometime he even watched old nala here.'' he said while petting a rather big labrador.

''Such a shame they think he murdered those children. I am one hundred percent sure he didn't do not such thing.''

''As I said before, I believe a dear friend of mine is helping him and some other people who share his fate. I am looking for any clue to find her...them'' he quickly corrected himself.

Artie looked at his dog and scratched her chin. ''What will you do when you find them?''

The professor thought about his question for a moment. He was still unsure of the answer himself. He decided to be honest.

''I am still not sure what I will do, but for now all I know is that I want to find them and see what truth lies behind this mystery. I know her and I know she would want to do good.''

Artie bursted out laughing, surprising the professor.

''You are way too honest for your own good you know that sonny?'' he said while wiping away a tear.

The professor scratched the back of his head and blushed slightly.

''I like you and I think Phillip would like you too. I will show you to his cottage.''

''Splendid!'' the professor said happily.

Finally some progress was made.

* * *

What will he find in the cottage? Will it be Phillip? Emmy? Nothing? All will be answered in time.

Hope you like the story! I will try to update as frequently as possible but don't expect any tight schedule haha. I usually have time to write during work on monday and wednesday. For some reason I am always super hyped to write when i'm at work :') don't think my boss would like it if she found out but hey, I aint got nothing to do anyway.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the professor layton francise.

* * *

**Chapter 4 The next step**

Artie was not the kind of person to diddle daddle. The professor was surprised to see the elder man speed ahead of him. Artie walked through a little forest path, covered in weeds, toppled over trees and broken off branches. The path seemed to not have been used in some time.

''This was a hidden little path Phillip and me used to use to get to one another.'' Artie explained.

''Quite hidden indeed.'' The professor said while ducking under some low foliage.

''Well, since they captured him, I haven't used to path anymore.''

Something about that struck the professor as odd but he decided to keep it to himself for now. He had to be careful not to make any accusatory assumptions towards Artie, in case he decided to turn back around.

The ground started to slant upwards, making it even harder to walk.

''Almost there.'' Artie said, grabbing onto some tree branches for support.

It seemed like he was aiming for the top of the hill. Artie started walking quite a bit faster, even though the professor already had a hard time keeping up. He sprinted forward through the bushes, out of the professor's sight. Hershel pushed away a few branches and was relieved to finally see a clearing.

Artie was standing a bit further away in front of a building. The building seemed half burned down. It was also the only building in this area, making it Phillip's infamous cottage. The professor took a moment to catch his breath and look at his surroundings.

The cottage was precisely on top of the hill, making it the centre point of the clearing. The clearing was surrounded with thick bushes and trees, making it almost impossible to spot from down below. The cottage itself was pretty big for just a vacation home. It could've easily been his regular house. The yellow brick outer wall was damaged on all sides by what could've been the fire and weeds had made their way into the cracks. The right part of the roof had caved in and soot marks were visible everywhere from the ground around the house to the roof and even to the outer fence. The windows were all broken or dangling out of their frame, but the front door still seemed to be perfectly intact. The professor tried to take in every possible detail.

''Well, are you coming over or what?'' Artie said impatiently.

''Ah, yes of course. My apologies.'' the professor said briefly while jogging over.

He walked up next to Artie, who had been standing in front of the front door. Artie knocked on the door a couple of times.

''Phillip, you there?'' Artie said.

He looked at the professor with a smirk.

''Nope he aint home, so let's just let ourselves him shall we?''

The professor didn't know how to respond to the gimmick and just waited patiently for him to open the door. He could probably walk through one of the holes on the side of the building, but entering without permission would be unbecoming of a gentleman.

Artie looked around the door and knocked on the wall a couple of times. After knocking on three different bricks, one of the bricks sounded a bit more hollow than the others.

''Got it!'' Artie said triumphantly.

He pulled out the brick and revealed that the other side had been hollowed out. Quite a good place to hide a key.

Artie grabbed the key and opened the door. The inside looked a bit more devastated compared to the outside. Most of the furniture was either completely destroyed or was very close to professor looked around through a few of the rooms, but found nothing except a few bookcases. The cases were in a room that seemed to be in the middle of the cottage.

''Probably used to be a study of sort.'' the professor mumbled to himself.

One thing that did strike him a slightly odd was a matchbox placed neatly on top of a few burned books. He picked up the matchbox and looked inside. On the inside were normal matches but none of them had been used.

''Of all things to not burn up in a fire.'' the professor thought out loud.

Artie had been standing close to the doorframe of the study, eerily quited. The professor noticed the silent man and turned around.

''Artie, I have a feeling you are not telling me something.''

Artie looked to his side and sighed. ''Professor, I need you to answer me one question.''

Artie sounded strangely serious, a complete turnaround from the bubbly man he had walked inside with.

''Very well, what would you like to ask me?'' the professor said.

''How are you with puzzles?'' he asked.

The professor looked at him for a moment and tried not to laugh.

''It is very much a hobby of mine. I think you might say I enjoy puzzles more than the average person.''

''Good.'' was the only thing he said.

More and more questions were rising up in the professor's head.

''Artie, if I may be a bit direct, I believe you know more about the situation then you make it out to seem.''

He stayed silent.

''Before when we were walking up the hill towards this house, you said you hadn't used the path anymore since they captured Phillip. I already thought this was strange, since Phillip's cottage had already burned down years before.''

''You sure are sharp laddie.'' Artie chuckled.

''I also find it strange that the front door was left undamaged and locked, especially when you look at the rest of the place.''

''Keep going.''

''And then finally there are these matches.''

The professor held up the matches he found in the study and placed them on a small, broken table between them.

''Most of the inside of the house has completely burned down. How is it possible that one of the most flammable objects has not?''

''Well what do you think?'' Artie asked.

The professor thought about all the clues he had received.

''Well, it all seems to be part of some sort of puzzle.''

''It sure is!'' Artie exclaimed happily.

''But what…'' the professor continued.

''You don't have all the clues yet, but that's what I am here for.'' Artie said.

The professor looked at Artie in surprise.

''So if I hadn't had won your favor, I wouldn't have been able to continue at all?'' the professor asked.

''Exactly.''

The professor was very glad he was able to convince the man to help him. Now just to figure out what the rest of the puzzle entailed.

''Alright, there are two parts to this puzzle.'' Artie started.

The professor listened closely.

''First I have a question for you once again.''

''Alright...what is it?'' the professor asked.

''Answer me this. I exist in the dark. I am sometimes full. When I am, I light up the sky. There is a blanket around me, but often at night I am cold. What am i?''

The professor placed his hand on his chin and started walking through the living room. Fortunately for a simple riddle like this the great puzzlemaster didn't need to think for very long.

''I believe the answer is the night sky.'' he replied.

Artie smiled a big smile and rubbed his hands together like a fly.

''Very good, now why would I want that answer out of you?''

Why would he want to hear the night sky for an answer?

''It is...because that's where the next part of the puzzle will be.'' the professor answered confidently.

Once again Artie smiled and nodded. The professor looked at his watch which read four in the afternoon. He sighed and looked up at the sky. The next puzzle probably involved the stars. He only hoped the sky would be clear tonight.

''Let's get down to my house for now. Might as well give you a bite to eat.'' Artie offered.

''Thank you for your kindness Artie, although I am not sure what your involvement is in all of this.''

''Let's just say I protect the ones I care for.'' Artie said.

The one he cared for probably implied Phillip, but the professor wasn't sure. They walked out of the cottage and back down the hill to Artie's house. The sheep had gone back inside their shack so the field was completely empty. The house itself was a mix between an old farmers house and a modern english mansion.

''My wife had some influence in the construction.'' Artie said as if he could read the professor's mind. ''Unfortunately she is no longer around.''

''I am sorry to hear that Artie.'' the professor said sadly, knowing the pain of losing the one you love.

''It's alright. We lived a happy life together and it was just her time you know.''

''Time...yes.''

The professor thought back on the failed but also successful invention that caused Claire's demise.

''Nala is the only one I got left now, well and them sheep of course.''

They arrived at the house and walked inside. The rest of the evening was spent waiting around. Artie prepared a strange soup made with sheep milk. ''It's healthy for ya!'' is what he claimed but the professor wasn't sure. After several hours of strange stories about his life Artie looked outside through his window.

''The sun is setting, we should probably head back to Phillip's.''

The path towards Phillip's house would probably be somewhat dangerous in the dark so the professor agreed to the plan.

* * *

They arrived at the cottage some time later when the sun had completely set. Hershel looked up at the sky and noticed it was almost perfectly clear except for a stray cloud here and there. The air grew cold, cold enough to see your own breath. The two men stepped inside the cottage once again and looked through the broken ceiling at the stars. At the moment, a rather large cloud drifted over the house, blocking out the sky completely. Hershel figured he might as well ask before the cloud departed.

''Will you tell me the next part of the puzzle Artie?''

Artie was also looking at the sky.

''How familiar are you with the horoscopes professor Layton?'' he asked.

The professor was only familiar with the basics but never bothered to look into it too much, believing it to be somewhat of a superstition. He remembered Luke used to be a little interested, but mostly because some of the constellations looked like animals.

''Only ever so slightly but I do believe I know all of them.''

''Good, please tell me which one you see when the clouds have cleared.''

The professor waited with great curiosity. The cloud took some time to clear but when it did, it revealed the night sky. Through the broken roof it was obvious which stars he had to look at, as if it was perhaps broken like this on purpose. There were four bright stars aligned in an arch. The first two stars were quite far apart, but the last two seemed right above each other. The professor recognized the constellation as the sign Aries.

''It seems that this is the Aries sign.''

''Very good again professor, such a clever man.'' Artie replied.

''So what do I need the aries sign for exactly?'' the professor asked.

''Remember those matches you found before? You need those for the final part of the puzzle.''

The professor had put the matches in the front pocket of his jacket and fished them out.

''_I knew these were needed for something._'' the professor thought.

''After I give you the final riddle, you are on your own. I will leave you here alone and wish you a nice life.''

The professor looked down at the matchbox in his hand. The final puzzle, if he solves this one he might see her. He might be able to solve this mystery. He looked back up at Artie and nodded.

''Alright then. The element that takes all claims the prejudice of the stars. In the center you will find peace but only if you light the way around.''

Another riddle. This time it seemed more like an instruction than just a clear answer. Artie turned around and started walking towards the door.

''Oh and before I leave, I left a little something for ya in the study.'' he said before disappearing completely.

The professor turned around and walked inside the study.

''When did he…?'' he asked himself when he spotted a small bottle. The professor picked up the bottle and screwed off the top. The inside seemed to contain some type of liquid, but he couldn't tell in such a dark environment. He brought up the bottle to his nose to give it a sniff but quickly recoiled when the strong scent got through to his senses. It was easy to tell that it was gasoline.

''Alright think Hershel, the man gave you a bottle of gasoline, you are holding a box with matches so it is obvious that you will have to set something on fire.''

He thought back to what Artie told him.

''The element that takes all has to be fire, but what does he mean with prejudice of the stars?''

He looked back up though the crack of the roof and once again saw the aries constellation.

''Aries...a sign which is assigned to people born on march 21st to april 19th. I believe the element for aries is also fire.''

Suddenly the professor thought back to a conversation between Emmy and Luke that happened several years ago.

* * *

''Emmy, when is your birthday actually?'' Luke asked in the backseat of the Layton mobile.

''Hmm are you planning a secret birthday party for me Luke.'' Emmy replied teasingly.

Luke blushed a light pink and crossed his arms.

''No I just want to know what your sign is.''

''My sign? Why would you want to know something so mundane?'' She said while jerking the steering wheel sharply to the right.

Luke held onto his suit belt for dear life.

''I just want to be able to explain your extreme personality.''

''Extreme huh, why ever would he say something like that professor'' she said as she looked at the professor sitting beside her in the passenger seat.

''Luke we do not say to a lady that she has an extreme personality.'' The professor said while adjusting his top hat. He almost lost it during Emmy's _redacted _turn.

''Even if it's true?'' Luke said softly.

Emmy ignored the last remark and replied ''my birthday is on april 3rd so I suppose that makes me an aries?''

''Yeah...that explains a lot. Aries are super fiery and highly emotional.''

''Oh I'm so getting you later today.'' Emmy said with a smirk.

Luke gulped loudly.

* * *

Luke called Emmy fiery which is a prejudice for someone with the aries sign. That had to be the answer. It all connected to fire. Now for the next part.

''In the center you will find peace but only if you light the way around. The center...the house was in the center of the mountain but how would that make me safe.''

The professor paced through the house and finally stopped in his tracks before the entrance of the study. When he had first seen this study he did think about how this was perfectly in the middle of the house. Maybe the house was burned down to conceal something. Maybe the only way to reveal this was to actually use the fire.

The professor once again looked at the bottle and the box of matches when he made a decision. He started walking through the house and opened the bottle of gasoline to splash it onto the floor.

''I need to make a circle.'' he said to no one.

He proceeded to create a circle around the study until the bottle was completely empty.

''Now to stand in the circle.''

He walked back into the study and opened the box with matches. He looked at the gasoline hesitantly. What if he was making a huge mistake. What if he just doomed himself to die in a fire? The possibility was definitely there. No it can't be. His intuition was fighting his gut feeling with such ferocity, it couldn't be a mistake. He picked up one of the matches and lit it against the side of the box. For a few seconds he stared at the dancing flame only thinking about Emmy and how he wanted to see her.

He threw the match into the gasoline, which immediately caught on fire. The fire travelled throughout the entire house and around the study. The professor could feel the heat and covered his mouth with his jacket to protect himself from the fumes. For a moment fear gripped his heart that he failed but thankfully that fear was quickly removed when the fire disappeared. Behind him something clicked, making him turn around. One of the bookcases had moved forward. Hershel reached behind the bookcase and pushed it to find a door on the other side.

The door opened and a man walked outside. The professor immediately recognized the man.

''Welcome professor Layton.'' The man said.

''Thank you Phillip.'' the professor returned.

* * *

Woooow what a chapter :o I thought I wouldn't be able to write even half a chapter today and here we go. Way more than I originally planned :') Hope you enjoyed it once again! I tried to really incorporate several puzzles but it was quite hard. Google-sama helped me out here and there haha.


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the professor layton francise.**

* * *

**Chapter 5 The meeting**

The professor started following Phillip down the stairs that had appeared behind the bookcase. They spirelled down into a dark corridor, only lit with a few soft spotlights.

Phillip had greeted him in a familiar sense, but stayed quiet for the remainder of the way down. The professor's heart was still beating hard in his chest, startled by the heated threat on his life. He still wasn't sure how the mechanics of the puzzle worked, and would love to talk to the maker. They eventually exited the stairway and entered a small, dark room. The room was completely empty, besides from a single wooden chair, standing in the middle.

''If you would please take a seat professor.'' Phillip gestured towards the uncomfortably looking chair.

The professor wasn't sure what would happen to him once he did, but it didn't seem like he had much of a choice in the matter. He walked to the chair and eyed it up and down. Seemed like a regular chair, no strange traps in or around it to the naked eye. After some contemplating he finally sat down. Phillip walked around the chair to the wall in front of the professor and knocked on it four times. After some silence a small notepad appeared from the wall. Phillip wrote something down on the notepad and coughed two times.

The whole process was very intricate, but made sense since he was a wanted man. The notepad retracted back into the wall. The professor waited for something to happen. The wall started to shake violently and some of the bricks moved back into the wall. An opening formed, making an entrance to the other side. The professor was surprised to find a different man standing on the other side of the opening. He didn't recognize this man but he had an air of importance surrounding him.

The man stepped forward and whispered something in Phillip's ear. Phillip nodded and exited the room through the opening. The new man looked at the professor for a moment without saying a word. He was tall, slender and dark skinned with a few freckles marking his face. He wore a dark red suit with a bright yellow flower tucked away in his coat pocket. His sharp face was hidden away behind a thick beard but did not draw away the focus from his bright blue eyes. A peculiar man to be sure. Finally a bowler hat similar in color to his suit, fitted onto his long head.

''Professor Layton.'' he started slowly. ''I have read about you in the London times more than I can count.'' The man said with a smirk.

His voice was slightly hoarse but deep nonetheless.

''Yes, they do like to cover me from time to time.'' the professor replied.

He didn't know what to think of this person, nor how to reply to him.

''Now I would very much like to know how you found our little hide-out.'' the man stated.

''I do believe I have yet to hear your name sir.'' the professor said trying to remain calm.

''My apologies my good man, where are my manners. My name is Ferry Withelfield.'' he said while stretching out his hand in front of the professor.

He took his hand and shook it firmly. A curious name to be sure. The professor wondered if it was an alias.

''Good handshake, I see you know how to handle people.'' Ferry said while giving a final squeeze before letting go.

The professor felt quite a bit uncomfortable in the chair and was aware of the difference in power between the two.

''Well then, formalities out of the way, I'd like to ask again. How did you find this place.'' Ferry was getting straight to the point.

The professor explained everything honestly, from the clue he received from the redstone prison (without mentioning Clive of course) to Artie's help. Ferry stroked his beard and listened to the professors story with great interest. After he had finished Ferry belted out a big laugh.

''She should have made a more difficult puzzle then.'' he said while brushing away a tear from the conner of his eye.

''She?'' the professor asked.

Ferry smiled and nodded. Not long after, the wall behind him started shaking again. The bricks moved back to reveal the opening once more, where a smaller figure was standing in the shadows.

''It's good to see you again professor.'' a familiar voice spoke.

The professor's chest warmed up with what felt like a smoldering fire reigniting. He directed his gaze from Ferry to the figure in the shadows.

She stepped forward into the light to reveal herself.

''Emmy…'' The professor whispered.

He couldn't believe his eyes. She was standing right in front of him but...her eyes seemed distant. As he had noticed on the camera footage from the bank heist, he could see that her cheeks had fallen in. The bags under her eyes were also apparent and her skin seemed grey-ish. She did not look healthy.

''Professor Layton...I...I can't believe you're here.'' she said with a sad smile.

The professor wanted nothing more than to walk up to her and embrace her, but it wouldn't be appropriate. Not after not having seen her for years. He didn't really know her anymore. This sudden realisation hit him harder than he expected. What if she had changed completely?

''_No stop it Hershel.'' _he thought. ''_It doesn't even matter if she has changed. I will be there for her no matter what.'' _because that's what a gentleman does of course.

''Emmy, I can't believe we're finally seeing each other again.'' the professor said with a smile.

''Yes, I am relieved to see you are doing alright.'' she answered, although looking at Ferry with confusion in her eyes.

''Maybe you would like to catch up a bit? Why don't you take him to the break room Emmy.'' Ferry said while gesturing to the opening in the wall. ''Maybe you can ask your friend for some help as well.''

Emmy happily nodded to Ferry and walked over to the professor. She tugged on his arm to get him to stand up and started walking towards the opening. The professor followed, unsure of what to say to her, secretly relieved that the chair had just been a chair. He wanted to say many things, ask many things. But all he really wanted to know was if she was alright.

The professor walked through the opening to find the hallway of what looked like a cozy cottage. It was surreal to him how different the world could seem on this side. The three of them continued to walk through the hallway, until a door appeared on the right. Ferry opened the door and Emmy walked inside. This was Laytons que to follow as well. When he stepped inside the room he could see a sort of living room. There was a sofa and a sallontable placed to the left side of the room with a soft beige and pink rug beneath them. On the right side of the room were cabinets with supplies, books and curiosities, and finally in the back were several tables with maps spread out across. The professor could see different markings on the map around what looked to be London.

''I'll leave you two to it for now, let me know if anything comes up Emmy.'' Ferry said before closing the door, leaving the two of them alone.

The professor felt slightly nervous. Emmy was standing with her back turned to him and didn't utter a word. After some silence she walked toward to the pantry.

''Earl grey I presume?'' she said with a cheeky grin what could only be described as the Emmy smile.

The professor let out a sigh he had been holding in.

''That would be swell my dear.''

He sat down on the sofa on the other side of the room and waited for Emmy to join him.

''I can't believe you still call me my dear. Although I have always adored it when you did.'' she said while placing two cups of tea on the salon table. The professor thanked her and watched her sit down on a chair on the other side.

It was odd to see her without her trademark yellow jacket on. Instead she wore a black turtleneck sweater and grey pants. It almost dulled her appearance even more.

''You are here...i still don't believe it.'' she finally said.

The professor grabbed his cup of earl grey and nodded. ''I suppose it has been a while hasn't it.''

''Professor I have a bit of an odd question.''

He looked up to meet her eyes.

''Yes?''

''When was the last time you heard from me?'' she asked.

The professor took a moment to think about the time he had last received a letter from her. He recalled it had been some time after he had returned from Folsense.

''I believe it has been around 2 years ago now. You had sent me a letter telling me about an adventure you had while flying through northern Spain if I recall correctly.''

''Wow, so i've been to Spain...sounds nice.'' Emmy said emotionless while staring at her tea.

''It sounds as though you don't recall?''

''That is because I don't.'' she said before taking a sip. ''The last memory I have so far is when we arrived in Froenburg.''

The professor looked at her for a moment, puzzled with what to ask next. She had lost her memories. How? Was the first question to come to mind but what if it was something traumatizing. Her last memory had been arriving to Froenburg...which would mean she didn't remember. She didn't remember them parting ways. She didn't remember her reveal as a spy from Targent. She didn't remember what had happened to Bronev. How would he be able to tell her. It was not a memory he recalled fondly.

''I know what you're thinking professor.''

''You do?'' he asked.

''Well of course you want to know what happened for me to lose my memories right?''

Well, she certainly wasn't wrong.

''I'll tell you.'' she said looking intensely at the professor. ''It all started around 2 years ago when I woke up in a hospital in a small village called Matlock. I had no memory at all and didn't know what had happened either. I was covered in bruises and had broken a few of my ribs. Later I heard that I had crashed my plane. I must have really bumped my head.'' she placed her hand over her ribs, as if she could still feel the pain. She took a deep breath and continued. ''The townsfolk were very nice to me and tried to help me recover my memories. I didn't even remember my name so I went by Lola for a bit. After a week or so I had physically recovered completely and met a man named Ferry Withelfeld. This is the man you met before.''

The professor nodded, quietly listening to her story.

''He said he was intrigued by my story and wanted to help me. He had some contact that helped him secure a formula to help with memory loss and other ailments. The only thing he needed was a guinea pig to test it on and I was happy to help. Anything to remember who I was.''

She paused for a moment and looked at her arm. She stroked the inside of her elbow, probably thinking about the place where he had injected the serum.

''He took me to a research facility he owned and tried the serum on me. He told me he would give me small dosages just in case for my safety. At first I didn't believe it would work but…''

''It did.'' the professor said.

''Yes.'' she smiled. ''I started regaining memories from my childhood. I remembered my name and the people who raised me. Every month he would give me more of the serum, and every time more of my memories would flow back. I was extremely happy...but also scared at the same time.''

''Why were you scared my dear?''

Her eyes saddened and she sighed.

''I started gaining these strange powers with every shot, and that wasn't the only thing that scared me. After I think 10 months, I remembered how I lived in London. I remembered you and Luke. I remembered our first adventure together in Misthallery. I went to London to investigate about myself, only I stumbled upon something else entirely.''

''And what was that?'' the professor asked with curiosity.

''I found out that a lot of children were being murdered in different areas around London. When I asked Ferry about it, he told me he had actually already been investigating them. I just...couldn't ignore it. My memories were important but they could wait. Ferry still had a bit of serum left and asked for my help in the investigation. Not only did he help me with everything, he was actually doing so many good things.''

The professor frowned for a moment. He recalled the inspectors telling him how Emmy seemed to be involved with the mafia. Ferry could be lying to her about his profession.

''But I do have to admit that you wouldn't say so when you see him, or when you hear what he does.''

''What exactly does mister Withelfeld do?'' the professor asked.

''Don't call him that when he's near, he hates it when we call him anything other than just Ferry. But yeah, he is technically a mafia boss.''

The professor choked on his tea for a moment. Not only was Ferry involved with the mafia. He was the boss for crying out loud. He coughed away the tea in his throat and looked with a bewildered look at Emmy.

''Don't worry professor, I have been perfectly safe with him.'' she said while holding up her hands.

It was hard for him to stop worrying.

* * *

So sorry for the delay! Don't really know if anyone has been waiting on an update been here is one nonetheless :)


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